Tangled Together
by bklue18
Summary: A huge criminal case binds an ordinary museum curator with a tough and a little hot-headed head detective together. What could go wrong?
1. Just My Luck!

"Thanks again! See you tomorrow!"

Jasmine smiled as she exited the history museum, which was her new place of work, after saying good-night to the security guard. She used to be the curator for the USS Missouri in Hawaii when her boss offered her a two year transfer to the National Museum in Ireland, where she would be head curator. Seizing the opportunity, Jasmine agreed.

She adjusted the strap of her Mulberry satchel on her shoulder before walking towards the diner nearby. It was her third day in Dublin and she was loving everything Dublin offered. She ordered her usual take-out and was walking towards the nearest bus-stop when she saw a young boy, about 15 years old, looking suspicious near a car in the parking lot.

Since it was a late night, Jasmine found it odd for a young boy to be hanging around so late, much less be acting suspicious. She walked closer towards him and caught him with a bunch of keys in his hand, drawing a straight line on the outside of the car doors with a key.

"HEY!" Jasmine called out

The boy looked up and in panic, he threw the bunch of keys towards her and bolted. Stupidly, Jasmine caught the bunch of keys, not exactly sure what just happened. At the same time that she caught the keys, a guy with flaming red hair came out from the bar next to the diner. He walked towards his car and seeing the long line that was etched into his side doors, he turned and looked at Jasmine.

"Did yer key mah car?" He asked  
"I'm sorry?" Jasmine said, trying to understand the guy's deep Irish accent.

He walked up to her and said, "Ah asked if yer keyed mah car."

"Did I—No! Definitely not!" Jasmine said

He looked at the bunch of keys in her hand, "Yer sure that's yer answer? Ah can have those keys examined and ah reckoned they'd come back a match to those on mah car."

"I know this looks really bad but I am definitely not the one who keyed your car. I was on my way to the bus stop when I saw a boy about 15 years old standing by your car. I saw him key your car so I yelled 'hey' and he threw the keys to me before running away." Jasmine said

She looked at him but all he remained unimpressed.

"I'm serious! Why would I want to do such a juvenile thing?" Jasmine said  
"Yer tell meh. Yer the one with the keys." He said

Jasmine let out a frustrated sigh, "Seriously. It wasn't me!"

"Save yer explanation fer the station." Stephen said  
"Wha-What? I'm not going to the police station!" Jasmine said

He didn't say anything further but held her by the arm as he forcefully dragged her to the car. Being physically bigger than she was, Jasmine couldn't do anything to loosen the grip he had on her. Once he got her into the front seat, he took out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket and cuffed one of her hands to the grab-handle above the window on the interior of the car.

"Wha-What are you doing? I'm innocent!" Jasmine said  
"That's what they all say." He said  
"What? These handcuffs are unnecessary! I am not a criminal!" Jasmine protested

Not bothering about Jasmine's protest, he got into the car and drove towards the police headquarters. When they arrived at the station, he took off her handcuffs and brought her into the station. Just as he was getting her processed, Jasmine saw the 15 year-old boy at the station.

"That's the boy! That's the one who keyed your car!" Jasmine exclaimed

He looked at the boy before turning to the processing officer, "What's that boy in here fer?"

"He's in here fer keying several cars. The person who brought him in had evidence. Would yer like ter see the evidence, detective Farrelly?" The processing officer said  
"No, but, are his parents here?" He asked  
"Yeah. In there." The processing officer replied, pointing to the meeting room.

He nodded and brought Jasmine over to the bench by the wall, "Wait here."

She ran her hands through her hair, unable to believe what rotten luck she was having. Meanwhile, detective Farrelly walked over to the room where the boy's parents were with the bunch of keys he took from Jasmine.

"Good evening sir, ma'am. Are these yer keys?" He asked

The parents looked at the bunch of keys in his hands and almost immediately, the mother nodded.

"Yes. That's our keys. Ah'm so sorry… We should have been stricter on him." The boy's mother said  
"It's not yer fault. Boys will be boys." He said

Realizing that he had wronged someone, he gave them a small smile before excusing himself. He walked back over to Jasmine and put his hands into his pockets.

"Yer, uh, free to go." He said  
"What?" Jasmine asked  
"Ah said yer free to go." He replied

Jasmine stood up, "You found out I'm not the one responsible, right?"

"Yes." He said, cheeks showing a slight tint of pink.  
"I told you I wasn't the one but you didn't believe me!" Jasmine said  
"Ah'm sorry. Ah shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Do forgive meh." He said

Jasmine didn't say anything further as she picked up her Mulberry satchel to exit the police headquarters. Seeing that it was closing to midnight, he didn't think it was safe for her to return home alone so he ran after her.

"Miss! Let meh see yer home." He said

Jasmine turned around, "No, thank you! I don't want to be driven back here again if you suddenly decide to pin another crime on me. I'll be fine going home on my own."

He was about to say something else but held back when she walked further away from the police headquarters. Just as he was about to turn around and head back into the headquarters, the processing officer ran out to meet him half-way.

"Detective Farrelly! Detective Farrelly!" The processing officer said  
"Hold yer horses, Sean. What is it?" He said

Sean took in a breath to calm himself down before saying, "Sorry… Ah began to panic after seeing it."

"Seeing what?" He asked

Sean thrust a couple of papers into his hands in anxiousness and said, "These are the processing papers from that lass yer let go."

He looked at them, "What about them?"

"The address. Look." Sean said, pointing at where Jasmine's address was.

As soon as his eyes located her address on the paper, detective Farrelly thrust the papers back to Sean as he took big strides towards his car.

"Sean, tell Andrew about that piece of information. Ah'm going to get that lass." He said

Sean merely nodded as he watched the detective get into his car and drive out of the parking lot. As soon as the car left, Sean remembered his important task and turned around to run into the police headquarters to look for Andrew.


	2. What's Going On?

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm currently waiting in the boarding area at the airport, awaiting my flight. So, I decided to put up the next chapter of the story while waiting! :)**

"Yes! I was so embarrassed! I cannot believe I got handcuffed! Stop laughing, Stephanie! It's not funny! – I know… I'm home already."

Jasmine held her iPhone properly after getting her keys from her satchel and looked up to see her apartment door, slightly ajar.

"I'll call you back, Steph."

She ended the call on her phone and walked slowly towards her apartment. She was about to push open the door when she heard voices coming from inside.

"I don't see it here."  
"Me neither."  
"That bitch lied."  
"We need to tell the boss. Let's go."

Jasmine wanted to move before they opened the door to see her standing there but her legs were frozen to the spot. Just as she heard the two voices coming closer to the door, a strong hand grabbed her by the elbow and entered the stairwell, two doors down. She closed her eyes as soon as she saw the stairs and collapsed as her knees gave way from the fear she experienced.

"Are yer okay?"

Her head was reeling with after thoughts of what could have happened if they caught her outside her own apartment but it all went away when she heard that familiar voice. She opened her eyes and kneeling down in front of her was none other than the detective who wrongly accused her from something she didn't do.

"What are you doing here?" Jasmine asked

He looked at her, "That's the first question yer ask meh after ah saved yer arse back there?"

Jasmine shook her head, realizing that she must have sounded rude for saying that.

"I'm sorry. I just… I'm okay. How did you know where I lived?" Jasmine asked  
"It's a long story. Ah'll tell yer about it when we get back to the headquarters." He replied  
"Ho! Oh, no way. I'm not going back there with you! What are you going to charge me with now? Standing outside my apartment while strangers are in there?" Jasmine said

He sighed, "Will yer relax? Ah'm not going to charge yer with anything. Ah need to bring yer somewhere safe."

Jasmine was unable to comprehend what this detective was telling her. Somewhere safe? What was going on?

"What are you talking about? What is going on here?" Jasmine said  
"Ah need yer to just listen to meh. Go into yer apartment and see if anything seems out of place. Can yer do that?" He asked

Jasmine nodded as she slowly stood up. The two of them exited the stairwell and walked back to her apartment. Sure enough, the door was ajar but this time, no one was inside. She pushed open the door and entered her apartment. Her living room seemed fine. Nothing was out of place. She walked towards her bedroom and the first thing her eyes laid on was the closet which was now open.

"What was in there?" He asked, from behind her.

Jasmine shrugged as she got closer, "My clothes… And the safe that my land lady told me not to touch."

"A safe?" He said, closing the gap between them as he stood next to her.

Jasmine nodded as she felt the side of the closet before knocking. She pulled back the panel covering the safe and stepped aside so that the detective could see it too.

He looked at her, "Do yer know what's in there?"

Jasmine shook her head, "No. My land lady just told me not to touch it."

"Well, yer'll have to pretend yer didn't hear her say that and open the safe." He said  
"But I don't even know the code and I am not losing my deposit just to break her rule." Jasmine said  
"Yer don't have a choice. Those two men were in here looking fer something and whatever it is, it has to be in that safe. If yer don't find out what it is, yer going to lose not only yer deposit but yer life as well." He said

Jasmine stepped back to give herself some room to breathe since she felt like the whole room got much stuffier. She remembered a notepad that she once passed to her land lady to write on when she received a call. She walked out to her phone on the coffee table and moved several magazines away until she found the notepad. She picked out a pencil from the pen holder and started shading. When 4 digits surfaced, she handed it to the detective.

"I passed her this notepad to write on when she was here that last time. She received a call and wrote something down on it. She writes with a lot of strength so I thought this might be worth a try." Jasmine said

He smiled at her observant skills before walking back to her bedroom to try out the 4 digits from the notepad. He punched the numbers in and turned the knob. It clicked and opened. In the safe, sat a gun and a sealed A4 envelope. The detective took it out and Jasmine stepped back, seeing the gun.

"I had absolutely no idea that was in the safe." Jasmine said

He turned around, "Do yer have a ziplock bag or anything that can hold this?"

Jasmine nodded and went to her kitchen to get a ziplock bag. She passed it to him and he opened it up to place the gun inside. She took her laptop carrier off the table and opened it for him.

"You could put the document inside here." Jasmine said

He nodded and placed it inside.

"We have to get them to headquarters. Come on." He said

Jasmine nodded and followed after him although that wasn't really her first choice. She wanted to stay behind in her apartment but after remembering what the two voices said, she was afraid they'd come back and try to locate what they couldn't find on their first trip to her apartment. And, she sure didn't want to be here when they came back. She clutched her laptop carrier tight as they left the building and got into the detective's car, headed straight for headquarters.


	3. Thrown Into A Mess

They arrived at the headquarters and immediately headed into the meeting room where Jasmine saw a guy with a pony tail sitting there. As soon as the two of them entered, he stood up. When he did that, he towered over Jasmine just like the other detective did which made her wonder just how much time they spent in the gym.

He put out his hand and said, "Hello Miss Jasmine, I'm Andrew Galloway. I'm Detective Farrelly's partner."

Jasmine looked a little confused as she shook his hand, since she didn't exactly get the name of the detective who accused her and saved her all in one day. She turned to look at him as he placed the gun and document he took from her apartment's safe onto the meeting room table.

"Ah'm Stephen Farrelly. Head detective of Ireland's National Police Service." He said

Andrew looked at Jasmine, "I know you're a little confused now but rest assured, you'll understand after we explain."

"Okay… Can we start off with why there is a gun in the safe of my apartment?" Jasmine asked  
"You might want to take a seat." Andrew said

Jasmine took his advice and sat down in one of the empty chairs surrounding the table. Stephen picked up a file on the table and took out a photograph before placing it on the table, in front of her.

"Is this yer land lady?" Stephen asked

Jasmine looked at the picture of a Hispanic woman around the age of 30 and nodded, recognizing her.

"Yeah. That's my land lady, Rosa." Jasmine said, "Why do you have her picture?"

"Rosa Mendes is part of a Mexican gang that came to Dublin, 3 years ago. She was responsible for kidnapping girls here and selling them to Argentina and Paraguay for prostitution." Andrew said

Jasmine sat back in her chair, "Are you serious?"

"A year ago, she stopped all activities and became a normal, working citizen. She bought several houses and apartments which she rented out. One of which, was to you." Andrew said  
"That's how ah know where yer lived." Stephen said  
"Okay… So why am I here?" Jasmine said  
"2 weeks ago, Rosa's boyfriend, Javier was murdered on a plane back to Dublin from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight attendants found his body in the restroom as they were landing. It was done discreetly but messily. The only known signature that we found on the body was the missing skin on his left arm." Andrew said  
"Removed to show the expulsion from the gang." Stephen said  
"And, that's why you're here." Andrew said

"The gang that we're talking about here is hermanos para siempre." Stephen said, "Brothers—"

"Brothers forever. I know. I understand Spanish." Jasmine said, "I also know that they are one of the largest Mexican gangs in the world."

"Yes. That's why we have to keep yer here. Those two men in yer apartment earlier are part of the gang. So, ah believe that Rosa kept the gun in yer apartment as a precaution fer herself should the men come fer her." Stephen said  
"So… What you're trying to say is Rosa's boyfriend was murdered because of her?" Jasmine said  
"We have reason to believe so. And, it definitely has something to do with her sudden stop in activities." Andrew said

"This gang is notorious fer doing what they want to get what they want but without leaving incriminating traces." Stephen said, "We've been gathering evidence on them for years and this could be their downfall."

Jasmine looked at the sealed envelope in Stephen's hands and said, "You mean that could be Rosa's evidence against them?"

"Only reason why they want to find it so badly." Andrew said  
"Then open it!" Jasmine exclaimed

Just as Stephen was about to open the envelope, an alarm went off and he put down the envelope before exiting the meeting room with Andrew and Jasmine. They walked out to another officer's desk and looked at his computer.

"What's going on?" Jasmine asked  
"Someone hacked the security systems." The officer said  
"Wait, it's a false alarm. Someone might have tripped the wires." Andrew said

Stephen walked back to the meeting room to resume the opening of the envelope when he realized it wasn't where he left it. He started pushing files around the table to look for the envelope but he just couldn't find it. Andrew and Jasmine came back into see him getting flustered.

"What is it?" Andrew asked  
"The envelope. It's missing." Stephen replied  
"You've got to be kidding me, right?" Jasmine said  
"Where did you leave it?" Andrew asked

Stephen pointed at an empty spot next to the gun in the ziplock bag, "I left it here when the alarm went-"

He rushed towards the door and yelled, "Sean! Get meh the security footage in the meeting room!"

Sean got up from his seat almost immediately and rushed into the meeting room where he opened up the database of the police headquarters. He typed in a few passwords until they got to the security camera page. He pulled up the footage of when the alarm went off for Stephen and stepped aside as it started playing.

All eyes were on the screen as they saw a police officer slip into the meeting room and grabbed the envelope before exiting the room. But, just before the officer slipped out, he slipped a piece of paper into Jasmine's satchel.

Jasmine walked over to her satchel and opened it to find a paper among her stuff. She pulled it out and unfolded it. In it wrote, '_**I'm sorry but I don't want to involve you. –Rosa'. **_ She passed the paper to Stephen to read before she sat down on the chair.

"It wasn't an officer who came in here. It was Rosa." Andrew said  
"We have to place her under protective custody." Stephen said

Jasmine looked at them, "What? No… I don't want to be placed under protective custody. I'm fine. They're not going to come after me. I don't have the envelope anymore. And Rosa's note said she doesn't want to involve me."

"Jasmine, yer don't have a choice. Yer now considered the last person Rosa had contact with. If we let yer go like that, yer might be killed in less than an hour. Ah'm not risking that." Stephen said, "Ah don't want anything to happen to yer."

He turned to Sean and said, "Call the chief and tell him what happened. Get him to assign meh and Andrew to her for protection."

Sean nodded and headed to his desk to carry out Stephen's instructions while the three of them stayed in the meeting room to await the chief's reply.


	4. A Whole New Partnership

While Jasmine sat in the meeting room, Andrew and Stephen stepped out to get a drink for her. They headed to the pantry where Stephen took out his extra mug from the cabinet to make Jasmine a coffee.

"Stephen, is there something you want to tell me?" Andrew asked  
"Hmm? No. Why are yer asking meh that?" Stephen said

Andrew leaned against the countertop, "Because you're acting differently."

Stephen laughed slightly, "How so?"

"Usually, we won't specifically put ourselves as someone's 24 hours bodyguard. But, in the case of this girl, you didn't even think about it. You just agreed to it immediately!" Andrew said

"This case is different. It's huge. Ah want to crack this case." Stephen said, "Besides, this girl is far from home. The least we could do is keep her safe while we gather enough evidence to finally get 'em."

"So nothing else is going on?" Andrew asked

Stephen looked at him, "No, nothing."

Jasmine got out her macbook from her laptop case and sat in on the table. As soon as it started up, a request for a video call from Skype popped up on her screen and it was none other than her best friend, Stephanie. She smiled a little, feeling slightly at ease to see someone familiar after she'd been practically pushed off a cliff into this mess.

She clicked the 'accept' button and as soon as she saw her friend's face on the other end, she couldn't help but smile widely.

"Jas? What's with the creepy smile? Where are you? What happened just now?" Stephanie asked  
"This smile is just because I'm so glad to see you! I'm currently in the police station because shit happens." Jasmine replied  
"What? You smuggled something?" Stephanie said  
"No. I am involved in a case now." Jasmine said  
"Case? What case? Are you okay?" Stephanie said

Jasmine nodded, "I'm okay. It's just my landlady is involved in a gang and is on the run. She left me a note and now I'm the last person who has had contact with her. So, now I'm awaiting protection from the police."

Stephanie stared at Jasmine through the web camera, "And you're calm about this?"

"No. Trust me. Mentally, I'm freaking out all over the place. But, I'm in the police station so I can't express myself physically." Jasmine said

Stephanie laughed a little, "Well, that's what happens when you rent an awesome nice place at such a reasonable price."

"I know. Thank you for reminding me." Jasmine said  
"So, who are the officers in charge?" Stephanie asked

Jasmine looked up and saw Stephen and Andrew talking to Sean.

She looked back at Stephanie, "I'll show you."

Since the meeting room was all made of see-through glass, Jasmine turned her macbook a little to the right so that she could see them.

"Which one is it?" Stephanie asked, "I'm seeing a fair-skinned, red-haired officer and a hot one with a pony tail."

"They're both the officers in charge." Jasmine said

"Shut up! Really? Get to know the hot one!" Stephanie said

Jasmine turned the macbook back towards her, "Are you crazy? I'm not in this to look for a relationship! I just want to get out of this mess ASAP!"

"Okay, okay… Sorry. But, just so you know, they're both pretty cute." Stephanie said  
"The red-haired guy was the one who tried pinning charges on me!" Jasmine said  
"Well, count yourself lucky then! He looks pretty cute and he's strong! A quality you'll need in a man!" Stephanie said  
"Seriously? Steph! I'm in a crisis here! I have no mood to find a boyfriend!" Jasmine said  
"Alright, I'm sorry. I'll stop trying to make you get a boyfriend. Anyway, I'm going to fly down to see you, okay? I don't want you to be alone by yourself. And I know you don't want your family to know since you're worried they're going to go all 'I told you so' on you." Stephanie said

Jasmine smiled, "Thanks Steph…"

"Don't mention it. I'll call you when I arrive. Garcia-Colace, out!" Stephanie said

And with that, Stephanie ended the video call and Jasmine sat back in her chair, feeling much better after talking to someone she knew. Just as she shut down her macbook and closed it, the two officers came back into the meeting room.

"We got word from the chief already, starting from now; you'll be under the protection of the Ireland's National Police Service." Andrew said  
"Okay, so does that mean I can go home now?" Jasmine said  
"No. It's too dangerous for yer to go back to yer home. Yer'll stay at mah home." Stephen said  
"What?" Jasmine and Andrew said at the same time.

Jasmine stood up, "I'm not staying in a stranger's house! I barely know you!"

Andrew looked at Stephen, "What are you doing?"

"Until the chief finds a permanent place for yer to stay harms free, yer stayin' with meh. It's safer. Yer don't have to worry. Mah niece is stayin' with meh until her parents come home from their 2nd honeymoon. Ah won't do anything to yer. It will be against the police oath if ah do so." Stephen said

Jasmine looked at him suspiciously, not sure if she should insist on going back home. But, he's right. What if it was dangerous? What if those two thugs decided to come back and kidnap her or worse, kill her?

She sighed as she picked up her bags, "Alright. I'll stay at your house. For now."

"So does that mean I'll have to move over too?" Andrew asked  
"If yer want. But, ah only have two rooms in the house. Yer goin' to be bunkin' with meh if yer do." Stephen replied

Andrew narrowed his eyes, "Fine. I'll just come over and hang out while doing my job."

Stephen laughed a little as the two of them ushered Jasmine out of the meeting room and towards his car. The two guys got in the front while Jasmine got in the back. Soon, they were on their way to Stephen's house.


	5. The Start Of Something New

Stephen unlocked the door to his house and almost immediately bent down to pick up an adorable girl with beautiful green eyes and long brown hair, who was around 6 years old.

"Uncle Stephen!"

He smiled and hugged her small frame close to his chest, "Hey lil' fella!"

After they hugged for a while, an elderly looking lady came out from the kitchen.

"Oh! Yer home early, Mr Farrelly." She said  
"Yeah, how's Estella?" Stephen asked

The lady smiled, "She's been a good girl. She was just readin' when yer came through the front door."

"Were yer?" Stephen asked the little girl

She smiled widely and nodded before she looked at the two strangers behind Stephen.

"Uncle Stephen… Who are they?" Estella asked

Stephen turned around and put Estella down, "Their mah friends."

"Well, any friend of Stephen is a friend of mine. Come on in, yer two." The lady said  
"Thank you." Jasmine said

She and Andrew walked into the house while the old lady closed the door behind them. They found their way to the couch and sat down.

"Ah'll make some tea." The lady said  
"Oh, no, Mrs O'Malley, that's okay. Yer can go home now. Ah won't want yer kids to blame meh for holding yer up." Stephen said

Mrs O'Malley chuckled, "Nonsense. What's another 10 minutes? Ah'll make the tea then leave."

Stephen merely nodded as he sat down on a single couch while Estella sat next to Jasmine.

"Hello." Estella said, "My name's Estella."

Jasmine turned to Estella, "Hello Estella! I'm Jasmine."

"Are you my uncle's girlfriend?" Estella asked

As soon as she asked that question, Andrew choked back a laugh while Stephen looked on a little embarrassingly at Jasmine; wondering what her reaction will be.

Jasmine smiled, "No… I'm not your uncle's girlfriend. I'm just a friend."

"Are you his girlfriend then?" Estella asked, looking at Andrew.

Jasmine shook her head, "No… I'm not his girlfriend either."

"Good. Means you could be uncle Stephen's girlfriend!" Estella said

Stephen coughed to cover up his embarrassment as he picked up his niece.

"That's enough for tonight. Don't yer have to go to school tomorrow? Come on, let's get yer ready for bed." Stephen said

He walked briskly out of the living room area, down the hallway towards Estella's room as she continued protesting. Just as he brought her to her room, Mrs O'Malley came out with the tea.

"Here is the tea. Ah hope yer okay with some Earl Grey. Stephen doesn't really drink much tea so ah figured ah'd get at least some tea for his home in case we ever had guests." Mrs O'Malley said

Jasmine smiled as she picked up a tea cup, "Earl Grey's fine, Mrs O'Malley."

The housekeeper looked at her watch and back at them, "Oh, ah have to go now. Just let Stephen know that ah'll be going now. And, ah'll be back tomorrow to bring Estella to school."

"Okay." Andrew said

Jasmine stood up as Mrs O'Malley gathered her things before walking to the front door with her.

"Aren't you going to wait for Detective Farrelly to bring you home?" Jasmine asked

Mrs O'Malley chuckled, "That's not necessary. Ah just live 5 blocks away from here. Don't yer worry, dearie. Ah'll be just fine."

Jasmine merely nodded and waved as Mrs O'Malley left the house as she made her way back to her own home. Seeing her well on her way, Jasmine closed the door and headed back to the sofa where Andrew was sipping tea. She sat down next to Andrew and picked up her cup of tea to sip just as Stephen came back to where they were.

"She's asleep?" Andrew asked  
"Yeah. Ah had a hard time putting her to sleep but she's finally down." Stephen replied  
"Will I be disturbing her if I go in later?" Jasmine asked  
"Nah. She's a pretty deep sleeper. She won't realize it. Ah did set up the spare mattress by the corner. Ah know it's not any sort of hotel standards but ah hope yer won't mind." Stephen replied

Jasmine stood up, "Well, you're keeping me safe so I can't complain, right?"

Stephen didn't respond and Jasmine realized that she may have sounded a little sarcastic so she lightly punched his arm.

"I meant it as it is. It's not a sarcastic comment. Do you have a guest toilet? I think I need a shower." Jasmine said

"Uh, yeah. There's one down the hall." Stephen said, "Ah put out a set of mah younger sister's clothes. Ah'm not sure if it'll fit… Mah sister is a little on the bigger side."

Jasmine smiled and said, "No worries. I'll be able to fit in them."

Stephen gave him a small smile back as she walked down towards the direction of the guest toilet. Seeing that Stephen may be looking at Jasmine for a little too long, Andrew slapped the top of Stephen's knee.

"I think that's enough of looking , don't you think?" Andrew said

Stephen looked back at Andrew, "Ah-Ah wasn't looking… Ah was just making sure she went to the right place."

Andrew smirked, "Yeah, sure. I'll take your word for it."

Stephen merely made a not amused face as he sat down, opposite Andrew.

"So? Do you think we'll be able to find Rosa in time before Hunico finds her?" Andrew asked  
"Ah really don't know. At this point, ah know we're not the only ones who know Rosa came to find Jasmine." Stephen replied  
"Yeah. Hunico probably knows about Jasmine and would have sent someone to track her." Andrew said  
"Yes. But ah don't think anybody knows about what happened in the police station." Stephen said  
"Let's hope so…" Andrew said

Just then, Jasmine came out in a change of clothes and joined the guys on the sofa.

"Okay… So… What's the plan?" Jasmine said  
"Plan?" The two guys said

Jasmine nodded, "Yeah. Rosa? Gang? What do I do now?"

"There's really nothing you can do now… We just have to wait for the chief to find you a safe house." Andrew said  
"For now yer should get some sleep. Yer must have had a rough day." Stephen said  
"That's an understatement. But, thanks for the pajamas." Jasmine said

Stephen smiled, "Ah'm glad it fits."

Andrew coughed a little before he said, "Well… It's getting late now… I should get back and the two of you should get some sleep."

He stood up first, making Stephen and Jasmine follow suit.

"I'll come by tomorrow morning." Andrew said  
"Okay. Ah'll get Mrs O'Malley to prepare breakfast for yer too." Stephen said  
"Thanks. Have a good night, you two. Especially you, Jasmine." Andrew said  
"Thank you. But, I'll try." Jasmine said  
"Can I take your car?" Andrew asked  
"Knock yerself out. But, bring it back to meh safely tomorrow." Stephen replied

Andrew nodded as he put up his hand as a good-bye gesture before walking out of the front door that Stephen held open, as he passed him the car keys. As soon as he saw Andrew safe in his car, he put up his hand to gesture a manly good-bye before closing the door.

Not wanting things to turn awkward, Jasmine spoke up.

"I'll go get some sleep." Jasmine said  
"Yeah… Yer really need it after what happened today." Stephen said

Jasmine nodded and was about to walk away when she turned back and said, "Um… Detective?"

Stephen looked up, "Yeah?"

"Thank you." Jasmine said

He merely gave her a small, shy smile and nodded, "It's mah duty."

Jasmine smiled back before walking towards her temporary room where she'd stay for the night. Stephen found himself watching Jasmine head to his niece's room and immediately looked away. What was going on? He's doing what he did earlier when Andrew was around! He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. Jasmine's a civilian and he is a detective. He is merely doing this to make sure she's safe. That's all there is to it, right?

Stephen let out a slight sigh as he cleared the tea cups and tea pot into the dishwasher before heading to his room. A good night's sleep seems like the best cure for over thinking.


	6. I Could Live Like This

Jasmine stirred from her sleep as the smell of freshly made pancakes wafted into the room she was sleeping in. She turned away from the wall she was facing and opened her eyes to see Estella sitting by her mattress. Jasmine reached for her glasses and put them on as she sat up properly.

Estella beamed, "Good morning!"

Jasmine smiled back, "Good morning. I'm sorry for crashing in your room."

"That's okay. Uncle Stephen told me that you were sleeping over." Estella said  
"Well, thank you for sharing your room." Jasmine said

Estella smiled shyly, "You're welcome."

Jasmine looked at the pink clock on the wall and then at Estella, "Wow. You're dressed already and school starts at 8am, right?"

Estella nodded, "Mommy always tells me to get ready early so I'd always get changed after waking up."

Jasmine nodded and smiled as she watched Estella get up to go to her study table. She then realized that Estella's hair wasn't tied up or held back, so her hair was pretty much all over the place. She stood up and walked over to the little girl.

"Estella… Do you always go to school with your hair down?" Jasmine asked  
"Yeah… Only when mommy isn't around cause I don't want to trouble Mrs O'Malley." Estella replied  
"Well… Do you have any hair ties around?" Jasmine asked

Estella nodded and reached into a small box on the table to take out a black hair tie, which she passed to Jasmine.

"Okay… You sit here." Jasmine said, gesturing to the study table chair.

Estella listened to Jasmine and sat down on the chair. After two minutes, Jasmine cleared the hair out of Estella's face and started up a French braid for her.

"There. All done." Jasmine said, smiling a little at her work.

Estella walked over to the mirror on the wall and immediately ran over to hug Jasmine after seeing her new hair-do.

"Thank you so much! Now the other girls wouldn't make fun of me anymore!" Estella said

Jasmine smiled, "You're welcome. Do you want to show it to your uncle?"

Estella nodded and instantly took Jasmine by the hand as they left her bedroom, headed for Stephen's room. Jasmine knocked the door and opened it to see Stephen only with his pants on, about to put on his shirt.

"Oh my—I am so sorry. We'll—Uh… We'll see you at breakfast." Jasmine said

Before Stephen could even open his mouth to say anything, she had already hastily closed the door.

Jasmine turned around to Estella and said, "Uh… Your uncle is a little busy now… Let's show him at breakfast, okay?"

Estella nodded and skipped happily towards the kitchen while Jasmine lightly smacked her forehead as she made her way over to the toilet. As she picked up her toothbrush, which Stephen passed her last night; she glanced up at the mirror and realized that her cheeks were a little flushed. Before the image of the half naked detective could enter her brain, she shook her head to stop it from appearing.

She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face just as a knock was heard on the bathroom door. Jasmine went over to open the door and there stood Mrs O'Malley with her clothes from yesterday.

"Good mornin', Miss Jasmine. I washed and dried yer clothes for yer." Mrs O'Malley said  
"Oh! Thank you so much, Mrs O'Malley." Jasmine said  
"Yer very welcome. Ah'll leave yer to change then." Mrs O'Malley said

Jasmine smiled and nodded as Mrs O'Malley closed the door. After changing, she walked out to the dining room area where Estella, Stephen and Andrew were already seated. She tried her hardest to avoid his eye contact as she sat down next to Estella.

"Uh, good morning." Jasmine said, as she sat down.

Andrew smiled, "Good morning. Are you okay? You look a little flushed."

"Hmm? Me? Really?" Jasmine said, feeling her face.  
"It's the heat. Mah house gets a little hot in the mornin'." Stephen said  
"Does it?" Andrew said, looking around.  
"Uh, yeah. It's the heat." Jasmine said

To avoid any other questions, Stephen looked at Estella and said, "Now, who did yer hair today, pretty princess?"

"Jasmine!" Estella said, smiling widely.

Stephen smiled, "Did she now?"

"Yeah… Her hair was kinda all over the place so I thought I'd help her by giving her a braid." Jasmine said  
"Well, it's very pretty." Mrs O'Malley said, joining the table.

Estella smiled and so did Jasmine before she looked at the spread in front of her.

"So, any word from the chief yet?" Andrew asked  
"No… Not yet. Ah did get word from Thomas just now that they have some things to tell us regarding the case." Stephen replied  
"Case? What case?" Estella asked, curiously.

Mrs O'Malley took another spoon of her oatmeal before she stood up, "Come on, Estella. We better get yer to school or yer'll be late."

Estella pouted as Mrs O'Malley took her backpack off the floor and put it on for her.

"Bye, lil' fella." Stephen said, as she gave Estella a hug.  
"Bye uncle Stephen, bye uncle Andrew. Bye, Jasmine!" Estella said, as she was accompanied out by Mrs O'Malley.

The three of them waved good-bye to her just as they stepped out of the house.

"So… What are the leads?" Jasmine asked  
"There's a big deal goin' down today." Stephen said  
"What does that mean? Am I in danger?" Jasmine asked  
"No… Rosa's the least of their problem for today." Andrew replied  
"Okay… So… I can go to work today, right?" Jasmine said  
"Yup… Unless Stephen thinks otherwise." Andrew said

He looked at Stephen, who shifts a little uncomfortably in his seat.

"Ah agree with Drew. Yer cleared to go tah work." Stephen said  
"Good." Jasmine said

Just as she finished eating her breakfast, she looked at her watch and nearly leapt out of her seat when she realized that she was going to be late for work.

"What's wrong?" Andrew asked  
"I'm going to be late for work!" Jasmine replied  
"We'll drop yer off at work then. Come on." Stephen said, getting up from his seat.

They drove to the museum where they dropped Jasmine off.

"Ah'll come by to pick yer up after work… If yer don't mind." Stephen said  
"Sure. Just give me a call when you're coming to pick me up." Jasmine said

As the car pulled away, Jasmine smiled a little to herself. She may have been annoyed with this detective yesterday but she was starting to find him a little bearable… even a little attractive. She shook her head as the image of him from earlier in the morning crept into her brain. Jasmine blushed a little before walking up the stairs into the museum.


	7. More That Meets The Eye

Jasmine walked through the front entrance of the museum and smiled at Bill, the security guard as he greeted her. She was headed towards her office when the one of the museum directors stopped her.

"Jasmine!"

She stopped and smiled, "Teresa, good morning."

"Morning. I should tell you that you have someone important, waiting for you in your office." Teresa said  
"Someone important?" Jasmine said  
"Yes. Mr William Regal. He's a wealthy businessman from England and he'd like your permission to have his daughter's birthday party here." Teresa said  
"My permission? You're the director of this museum." Jasmine said  
"Yes, but you're the head curator of this museum. And, I'd much rather have your permission." Teresa said

Jasmine was about to say something when Teresa stopped her.

"Don't tell me what you think yet. Just go in and discuss it with him before you make up your mind, okay?" Teresa said

Jasmine looked at her hopeful look and nodded as she continued the journey back to her office. As she entered, a well-dressed man was looking at her family picture by the side table.

"A loving family, I see." He said, as Jasmine put her things down.

Jasmine gave him a polite smile and said, "Yes. I was adopted so my family showered me with a lot of love."

He looked at her, "I didn't mean for it to come as a pry into your personal life. I'm terribly sorry."

"That's okay… You're Mr Regal, I believe." Jasmine said, "I'm Jasmine Orton, head curator of this museum."

He smiled and shook her hand, "A very young head curator. American, too. You must be really good at your job."

"I do my best. So, Mr Regal, I heard from Teresa that you're interested in having your daughter's birthday party here?" Jasmine asked  
"William, please. And yes… You see, my daughter loves museums and we were planning to have her birthday party back in the British museum in England. But, my business is a little tied up here and I can't leave until after her birthday. So I made her this suggestion and she loved it." William replied  
"I see… Mr Re—William, this museum hasn't been used for a birthday party before and I'm not sure our staff will be able to handle the crowd." Jasmine said

William smiled, "That, you don't have to worry. I've got my own security team that will ensure the safety of my daughter's guest and the safety of your exhibits and artifacts."

"Well… In that case, if you can see to it that our museum exhibits and artifacts will remain as it is… I guess its okay to make a little girl's day." Jasmine said

William smiled widely, "I knew you're a flexible person. And, as a token of my appreciation, I'll see to it that your museum gets the new wing renovated for the new dinosaur exhibit."

"How did you know we're planning to have a new exhibit?" Jasmine said  
"I make several donations to different museums around the world, Miss Orton. I know their needs. Yours requires a new wing since it is an archaeology museum and what you're missing is the dinosaurs exhibit." William said

As William walked towards the door of her office, he said, "I'll have one of my staff bring down the necessary documents for you and discuss the details of my daughter's birthday party with you. Good day, Miss Orton."

"Good day…" Jasmine said

As soon as he left her office, she sat down in her chair a little stunned about what happened earlier. Holy cow. Did she just get her museum a new exhibit just by giving the green light for a birthday party? She laughed a little to herself, elated that her boss, Teresa, was going to be very happy.

Throughout the day, Jasmine had to attend meetings and even helped with guided tours because 2 of their museum guides were on medical leave. At around 5pm, she finally sat down at her desk for her long awaited lunch. She opened the bag of cookies and took off her shoes as she sat Indian style on her chair.

As she was onto her 5th cookie, her office door opened and a familiar little girl popped her head in.

Jasmine smiled as she put her legs down and sat up, "Hello Estella!"

Estella giggled just as the door opened wider and she ran towards Jasmine. Her little figure collided into Jasmine's for a hug. She looked up as Stephen walked into the room.

"Hey, sorry. She wanted to come see yer." Stephen said

Jasmine chuckled, "That's okay."

"Ah wanted to give yer a call but as soon as the little princess knew where yer were working, she wanted to come and surprise yer." Stephen said  
"Well, it's really a surprise indeed!" Jasmine said

Estella smiled, "I've never been to the museum before… Mommy didn't have time to bring me."

"Hmm… Maybe we could fix that. Estella, would you like a special tour of the museum?" Jasmine asked  
"Can I?" Estella asked

Jasmine nodded, "Yup!"

"Can uncle Stephen come too?" Estella asked

Jasmine looked at Stephen and said, "Only if he wants."

Stephen smiled, "Sure, why not? Ah haven't been here since ah was 5."

"That long?" Jasmine asked  
"Yeah. Never had the time to come again." Stephen replied  
"Well then, detective Farrelly, today's your lucky day." Jasmine said

She held onto Estella's hand as they made their way out of her office. Stephen smiled to himself as he followed behind. Two hours passed fairly quickly as Jasmine showed Estella and Stephen the museum.

"And that's the end of the museum tour. Did you like the exhibits?" Jasmine asked Estella

She nodded, "Yes! Uncle Stephen, did you like it?"

Stephen smiled and carried Estella up onto his shoulders, "Ah sure did."

Estella giggled as Jasmine smiled, seeing the bond between the two of them. She looked at her watch and realized that the museum was supposed to close half an hour ago.

"Oh crap. The museum was supposed to close half an hour ago. I hope Bill didn't lock us in." Jasmine said  
"Ah'm sure he didn't. We'll go get yer stuff and leave." Stephen said  
"Oh, but I do have some work I want to finish…" Jasmine said  
"Well, yer can finish it at home. Yer still under mah protection. Ah can't leave yer here. Besides, yer need to have a proper, filling dinner. Those cookies yer were havin' aren't real food." Stephen said

Jasmine thought for a while just as Estella said, "Uncle Stephen said we could have pizza today!"

She chuckled just as her stomach growled, "Okay, pizza does sound good. Let me go get my stuff and we can go."

Stephen smiled as Estella cheered before they resumed the walk back to Jasmine's office. On their way back to her office, they passed by the new wing of the museum which was currently cordoned off, with a huge standee of a dinosaur in front of the rope.

Jasmine shook her head and muttered, "Teresa."

"A dinosaur exhibit?" Stephen asked, looking at the standee.  
"Yeah. Some rich dude came by today to ask for a birthday party for his daughter. In exchange, we now have fund for a new dinosaur exhibit." Jasmine replied  
"Cool!" Estella exclaimed

Jasmine smiled as she walked on towards her office. Once she was inside, she packed up her stuff, along with her work and locked the door behind her as she rejoined Stephen and Estella who were waiting for her at the entrance of the museum. She was relieved to see Bill standing with them.

"Leaving now, Miss Orton?" Bill asked  
"Yes, Bill. I'm sorry for keeping you here." Jasmine replied  
"That's okay, Miss Orton. Rachel said yer were giving yer boyfriend and his niece a tour." Bill said

Jasmine's eyes widened a little at the sudden use of the word 'boyfriend' and blushed.

"Uh, Bill… He's not my boyfriend… He's just a friend." Jasmine said, not daring to look at Stephen.

Bill looked at Stephen and then at Jasmine, "Aww… That's a shame. A good Irish man is hard to find, Miss Orton but a good girl like yer is even harder to find."

He looked at Stephen, "Yer better hurry and woo this lass, fella."

Stephen laughed a little as did Estella while Jasmine smiled shyly.

"Ah best be doin' mah rounds now. Have a good night, Miss Orton and friends." Bill said  
"Good night, Bill." Jasmine said  
"Good night, sir." Stephen said

As Bill made his way into the museum, Estella waved at him. He waved back before he disappeared into the museum.

"Shall we?" Stephen asked  
"We shall!" Estella exclaimed  
"Lead the way, detective Farrelly." Jasmine said

They drove to a small pizzeria not too far from Stephen's house. They all got out of the car and headed into the pizzeria. They got a table by the window and as they sat down, something caught Stephen's eye and he immediately ran out of the pizzeria.

A black BMW sedan passed him by and the passenger in the back seat rolled up his windows just as Stephen and him locked eyes. The last thing that Stephen saw before the windows went up was the wide smile that passenger wore.

Jasmine looked out the window just as it happened and she could almost see Stephen's body tense up as he locked eyes with the man. She didn't know who that guy was or what was happening but she knew it wasn't good. As Stephen turned to head back in, Jasmine quickly looked down at the menu and joined Estella in picking a pizza.

Stephen regained his composure as he sat down next to Estella and said, "So, what are we havin'?"

"We're having a little disagreement here. Estella wants the Hawaiian pizza while I want the pepperoni." Jasmine said  
"You have to choose, Uncle Stephen." Estella said  
"How about we do a mix of both pizzas?" Stephen said  
"That sounds like an excellent idea. How about it, Estella?" Jasmine asked  
"Yes, please!" Estella exclaimed

Stephen smiled and stood up to go make his order at the counter while Jasmine and Estella waited at the table. Even though Stephen was smiling and sounding like he was earlier, Jasmine sensed something amiss in the way he was behaving. She knew that it definitely had something to do with the Rosa and gang case but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was the guy she saw earlier Hunico or someone else? From what she saw earlier, the guy didn't look like one to be trifled with and from how Stephen reacted, it must be someone he's itching to put behind bars.


	8. Maybe More?

"Okay, Estella's asleep." Jasmine said

She walked towards the living room where Stephen was and sat down beside him. He gave her a quick smile before looking back at the file he was reading. Jasmine looked at the coffee table and there were several other files on it. She picked up one and almost got it open when Stephen took it from her.

"Yer shouldn't be readin' that." Stephen said, "Its police business."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at him, "You're kidding, right? Just in case you forgot, I'm involved, remember? So I'm thinking that makes it okay for me to see what sort of mess I'm in."

She tried to reach for the file but Stephen held it up above his head.

"Nice try. But ah can't let you read 'em. The lesser yer know, the safer yer are." Stephen said

Jasmine knew it was for her own good but she really didn't like it when people overprotect her. Against her better judgment, she reached up and tried to get the file from Stephen's hands. Seeing that her arms were shorter than his, it was proving a difficult task to get it from him. Finding her reaction amusing, Stephen put away the file he was reading and concentrated on not letting Jasmine get the file.

"We can do this all day and yer not goin' to get the file." Stephen said  
"At least I can try." Jasmine said

Stephen chuckled and stood up, still holding it above his head, as high as he could.

"Let's see yer try takin' it now." Stephen said  
"Seriously? You want to play that way? Fine." Jasmine said

She stood up and tried reaching up for it, only to grasp the air. After failing twice, she decided to resort to jumping. Whenever she wanted to reach books that were on a high shelf, she'd often use jumping as her tool to get it down. This won't be so different, right? Jasmine shrugged internally as she started jumping up and down. On her second jump, she managed to grab the edge of the file but, the grip Stephen had on the file was pretty tight. So, her hand slipped and not looking back at where she'd land, Jasmine lost her footing and fell onto Stephen's thick frame.

"Whoa, are yer okay?" Stephen asked, concerned.

He put his hands on her waist to aid her as she regained her footing.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Jasmine said, standing upright.

Realizing his hands were on her waist, Stephen quickly removed them before Jasmine could notice but it was too late. A shade of pink painted Stephen's cheeks as he awkwardly rubbed his neck.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Jasmine pushed up her glasses and cleared her throat.

"I, uh, I should go get some sleep. I'm tired…" Jasmine said, faking a yawn.  
"Um, sure… Yeah, I'm-I'm feeling tired too." Stephen said

Jasmine nodded, "Alright… I'll go-I'll go wash up. Good night."

Stephen nodded, "Yeah… Good night."

She gave him a small smile before she quickly looked away as she walked towards the bathroom. Since Andrew went to her apartment to pick up her belongings, Jasmine now had fresh clothes to change into. As soon as the bath room door closed, Stephen fell onto the sofa covering his face.

"What the fuck was that, Stephen Farrelly." He muttered to himself, "That was real smooth."

He shook his head as he collected his files and headed back into his room, to put them away.

At around 3am, Stephen woke up feeling thirsty with his iPhone in his hand. He was supposed to give Andrew a call regarding his discovery but he ended up falling asleep. He got out of his bed and stretched a little before walking out to the kitchen. Opening his room door, he realized that the hall lights were still on. He turned towards the direction of the kitchen and found Jasmine at the dining table.

Her work was spread out on the table and her Macbook was on, with a sleeping Jasmine, who had her head on the table, next to it. He smiled a little to himself just as he made her way over to her. He lightly picked her up bridal-style as he carried her over to the sofa. He laid her down, surprisingly not waking her up at all. He went back into his room and took with him, a spare set of pillow and blanket before returning to the sofa. He gently lifted her head onto the pillow before covering the blanket over her. He took off her glasses gently and put it on the coffee table. He looked and smiled at her sleeping figure before walking into the kitchen to get his glass of water.

After drinking, he put the glass in the sink before he switched off the kitchen light. Stephen looked at Jasmine, and seeing her so sound asleep, he quietly switched off the hall light and headed back to his room.

* * *

"Jasmine, wake up!"

She opened her eyes to see Estella looking at her like she did the previous morning. Jasmine slowly sat up and reached towards her glasses that were on the table to put them on.

"Are you always going to wake me up that way?" Jasmine asked

Estella giggled, "No… But, Mrs O'Malley told me to wake you up."

Jasmine looked at her surroundings and back at Estella, "Did I sleep here?"

"Yes, yer did. Ah found yer on the couch in the mornin' when ah came in." Mrs O'Malley said, walking out of the kitchen.  
"On the couch? But I was at the kitchen table last night." Jasmine said  
"Yer must have been tired and walked over here then." Mrs O'Malley said  
"Maybe I did…" Jasmine said, although doubting she did that.

Jasmine stood up as did Estella from her kneeling position and walked towards the dining table.

"Mrs O'Malley… Where are my stuff?" Jasmine asked  
"Ah put 'em back in the bag that was on the table. Ah was worried Estella might start playin' with them." Mrs O'Malley replied

Jasmine smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Mrs O'Malley."

"Yer welcome, dear. Go wash up. Ah'll get breakfast ready." Mrs O'Malley said

Jasmine nodded and before she headed into Estella's room to get her clothes, she popped her head into Stephen's room but realized he wasn't in there. She padded back to the sofa where Estella was watching TV.

"Estella, where's uncle Stephen?" Jasmine asked  
"Oh! Uncle Stephen went out to have breakfast with uncle Andrew today." Estella replied  
"I see…" Jasmine said

She smiled at Estella and turned to walk back to the bathroom. As she entered the bathroom, she couldn't help but feel that his early disappearance definitely had something to do with the Hunico thing. And, today, she was determined to get some answers.


	9. Business First

"Over here!"

Andrew acknowledged Stephen's waving hand and made his way over to the booth, where he sat opposite him.

"Thanks fer comin'." Stephen said  
"Are you kidding me? This is the first time Stephen Farrelly is actually buying breakfast. I won't miss this for the world!" Andrew said

As soon as he finished his sentence, a waitress came up to them.

"And what can ah get the both of yer, today?" She asked  
"I'll get the scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Oh, and a cup of coffee please." Andrew replied

The waitress nodded at Andrew before looking at Stephen.

"Ah'll have the same." Stephen said

She nodded and said, "Ah'll be right back with yer breakfast."

She gave the both of them a smile before sauntering off to put in the order. Andrew was watching her go when Stephen stepped on his foot.

"OW! What the fuck was that for?" Andrew exclaimed  
"Ah need yer to focus. And right now, yer not focusin'." Stephen said

Andrew frowned a little from the pain from his foot and muttered, "What is it?"

"Alberto is in town." Stephen said

Andrew's frown disappeared as he leaned forward, "Are you sure?"

"Ah'm sure. Ah saw him last night. There must be something big happening for him to come down himself." Stephen said  
"But what? It's definitely not about Rosa running away. That's something he will let Hunico handle." Andrew said  
"Exactly. So whatever it is, we have to get him before he does it." Stephen said

Just as he said that, the waitress came back with their order. Andrew thanked the waitress and gave her a wink which seemed to make her happy as she left.

Andrew sipped his coffee, "So? How's life like living with Jasmine?"

Stephen looked at Andrew before looking at his breakfast, "Nothin' much. It's fine."

Andrew smiled, "You like her, don't you?"

Stephen chewed a piece of bacon, "No… What we have is strictly business. Ah have a duty to fulfill and that is all ah'm doin'."

Andrew nodded, "Yeah… Sure."

Stephen sighed and sat his cutlery back on the table, "Okay, maybe ah do like her. But ah'm pretty sure she doesn't share the same feelings."

"How do you know? You never even tried asking her out." Andrew said  
"And how do yer suggest ah ask her? Hey, ah know this isn't the right time but ah like yer. Will yer go out with meh?" Stephen said

Andrew laughed, "That would do."

"Ah'm serious, Drew. Ah can't just ask her out." Stephen said, "Besides, if ah do ask her out, ah'd be breakin' dozens of rules."

"Fuck those rules. Just because you're on duty protecting her doesn't mean you can't romance her at the same time. It's not like you're interfering with anything by asking her out." Andrew said  
"It's called a conflict of interest." Stephen said  
"Okay, but no one would know. It can be a secret or a cover! Yes, you're undercover!" Andrew said

Stephen shook his head and went back to his breakfast.

"Look, Stephen, you're my buddy. I hate that you always shut yourself out from dating because you're worried about putting them in danger if it gets serious." Andrew said

Stephen looked at Andrew as he continued, "You like this girl so give yourself a chance. Besides, if you don't, I might go after her instead."

Stephen gripped his fork tight, "Yer won't dare."

Andrew smiled mischievously, "Maybe I would."

"Back off, Galloway. Fine. Ah'll ask her out for lunch today." Stephen said

Andrew beamed, "Atta boy!"

* * *

Jasmine had tons of files and papers strewn all over her table just as the clock struck 12. She sighed to herself, realizing that it was lunch time. She heard a knock on her door and looked up just as Stephen stepped into her office. Seeing him in her office made her heart leap a little as she got up from her chair.

"D-Detective Farrelly? What brings you here?" Jasmine asked

He smiled, "It's Stephen. Call meh Stephen. Ah-Ah came to ask if yer'd like to go for lunch… Together."

"Lunch? Isn't Estella at school?" Jasmine said

Stephen gave a shy smile and rubbed the back of his neck, "Estella is at school. Ah was thinking of a lunch with just the both of us?"

Jasmine looked at Stephen and blushed as she put together the real meaning behind his presence.

"Detec—Stephen… Are you asking me out on a lunch date?" Jasmine said  
"Yeah… Unless yer don't want to." Stephen said  
"Oh, no! No! I want to! I mean… Yes, I'd love to." Jasmine said

Stephen smiled and Jasmine blushed as she tried to arrange the papers on her table.

"Just give me a minute and we can go." Jasmine said

Stephen nodded and waited by the side for Jasmine as she searched for her bag. Just as she found her bag, Teresa stepped into her office.

"Jasmine? Are you heading out for lunch?" Teresa asked

She looked up, "Uh… Yes… Why?"

"William just asked the both of us to join him for lunch. He needs to discuss the details for his daughter's birthday party." Teresa said  
"As in Mr William Regal? Didn't he say he was going to send someone to pass me the details?" Jasmine said

"Yes… But he wanted to thank us for accepting his request." Teresa said, "Why? Did you have an appointment?"

Jasmine looked at Stephen before looking back at Teresa, "Yes… I was going to go for my lunch date."

Teresa looked at Stephen, "Oh! So sorry! I didn't see you there. Do you mind postponing it to a dinner date or something? This is pretty important for both of us."

Stephen gave Teresa a polite smile, "Sure… It's okay… We can postpone it."

Teresa smiled happily while Jasmine looked at Stephen, "Are you sure?"

Stephen nodded, "Yeah… Maybe ah'll call yer later?"

Jasmine smiled, "I'd like that."

Stephen smiled back just as Jasmine moved from behind her desk. Since the lunch date was postponed, Stephen decided to head back to the station. Together with Teresa and Jasmine, they made their way out of the museum.

Jasmine gave him a small wave before she followed after Teresa towards a big, black limousine. He watched her walk to the limo and just as the door opened, he got a good look at the person inside but, there was another person sitting next to him. Stephen tried to squint to get a better look but he was at a bad angle to try and make out the person. Knowing he shouldn't stand there any longer, Stephen headed back to his car. Just as the car drove off, he realized that the person he got a good look off looked rather familiar. Knowing the name of that guy, Stephen decided to forego grabbing a quick lunch and instead, head back to the station to get the answer.


	10. What A Surprise

Stepping into the station, Stephen immediately spotted Andrew at his desk and walked over.

"Drew." Stephen said, reaching his desk.

Andrew looked up, "Hey! How did your lunch date go? Oh, wait… It's not even been half an hour…"

"We didn't go fer it. Her boss made her go fer a last minute lunch appointment with some guy named William Regal." Stephen said  
"Wait, the William Regal?" Andrew said

Stephen nodded, "Yeah… Yer know him?"

"He's only the richest English man I know. He's supposedly in town doing some business." Andrew said  
"What kind of business?" Stephen asked

Andrew looked at him, "You don't think he's involved with Alberto coming to town, do you?"

"Ah honestly don't know… But, yer know how Alberto works." Stephen said  
"Well, did you see anyone with Regal?" Andrew asked  
"In the limo… Yeah. But, ah couldn't make out who it was." Stephen replied

Just then, Stephen felt a pat on his shoulder and turned around to see the chief standing next to him.

"Chief."

The chief nodded at them and said, "How's the case coming along? Have the two of you found Rosa yet?"

"No, sir… We're still working on it. She's doing a damn good job of covering her tracks." Andrew said, "And, I think it's because she's going by another name. But, we still have officers patrolling the area she frequents."

"She's bound to mess up. Keep tracking her. About the safe house for Miss Orton, we are currently unable to get her one since it is not a full blown investigation." The chief said  
"What do yer mean? Yer just goin' to let her be bait fer Hunico?" Stephen said

The chief pat Stephen's shoulders, "Easy there, Stephen. That's not what I meant. It's just that as of now, we don't have any solid leads regarding the case so we can't get Miss Orton a safe house. But, if Miss Orton doesn't mind the arrangement she already has, I suggest she sticks to it for now while I try to negotiate with the superintendent."

"Alright, chief." Andrew said, seeing Stephen's annoyance still etched on his face.

The chief nodded before turning to return to his office.

Andrew looked at Stephen, "You heard the chief… He'll try to get Jasmine a safe house."

"Yeah… But that didn't pop up until ah said she'd be bait for Hunico." Stephen said

Andrew smirked, "Yeah. That plus the fact that you can't see her all the time."

"What do yer mean?" Stephen said  
"Don't play dumb with me, Farrelly. If Jasmine gets the safe house, you're going to offer to protect her 24/7. You don't really think I'm that stupid, do you?" Andrew said

Stephen cleared his throat and walked to his desk, which was in front of Andrew's and sat down.

Jasmine and Teresa arrived at one of the most expensive restaurants in town, making Jasmine feel a little uncomfortable with the surroundings. She's always been contented with average pricing restaurants so this was a whole new unnecessary experience for her.

"Are you okay, Jasmine?" Teresa asked

Jasmine turned to her as they walked in, "Yeah… Just not used to this."

"I know… My husband hasn't even brought me here once!" Teresa said  
"Um… Teresa… Who's the guy with Mr Regal in the limo? No introductions were made throughout the ride…" Jasmine said

Teresa looked at the guy that William Regal was talking to before saying, "I think that's his right hand man. Judging by the way they are talking, I think I'm right."

Jasmine looked at the guy who now turned to look at the two of them. Teresa smiled and he merely gave a polite nod before turning back to talk to William Regal.

William turned around and walked up to them, "Ladies! Shall we?"

Teresa giggled, "We shall. Come on, Jas."

Jasmine gave a polite smile as she followed after Teresa. With the help of the waiter, they were led to a table at a quiet corner of the restaurant where a guy of Hispanic descent was seated. He got up just as they arrived at the table.

"Mr Rodriguez! You got us an excellent table." William said  
"Only the best for a friend of mine. And, please, call me Alberto." He replied  
"Of course, Alberto… Well, I hope you don't mind but I invited these two lovely ladies to join us. They are with the museum." William said

He turned to look at them and smiled, "It's my pleasure to dine with beautiful ladies. Come, have a seat."

Since Teresa sat at the seat William pulled out, Jasmine had no choice but to head over to the seat that Alberto pulled out.

"Thank you." Jasmine said

Alberto smiled at her as he sat down in his seat.

"Isn't your friend going to join us?" Teresa asked  
"Who? Oh, you mean, Nicholas? He doesn't do fancy lunches." William replied  
"Enough about William's men… We are here to have a nice lunch while we talk about the birthday party, yes?" Alberto said

William nodded, "Yes, yes. Teresa, Jasmine, I'd like you to meet the person who will provide his men for security."

He continued, "Alberto is owns one of the largest and best security firms in the world and I would trust him with my life to keep my daughter and your artifacts safe."

"William, my friend… You're too kind. We try to be the best, that's all." Alberto said  
"Well, in that case, my mind is at ease now. And I'm sure Jasmine feels the same, right?" Teresa said

Jasmine gave a polite smile and said, "Yup."

"Alright. Shall we order?" William said

That evening, Jasmine was in her office evaluating an intern's work when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up and smiled as soon as she saw Stephen standing there.

"Hi." Stephen said

Jasmine smiled, "Hi."

He walked in just as she said, "I thought you were going to call?"

"Ah thought about it but ah wanted to try surprising yer again." Stephen said

Jasmine chuckled, "Well, it worked."

Stephen smiled, "So… How was lunch?"

"Weird… It was an expensive restaurant we went to." Jasmine said, "And I don't really like fancy restaurants."

"Well, ah got to remember that then. Ah was plannin' on bringin' yer to one." Stephen said

Jasmine laughed slightly, "So… What brings you here, detective Farrelly?"

"Ah'm here to take yer out for a dinner date… We were supposed to have lunch but yer passed on meh." Stephen said  
"Lucky for you, detective Farrelly, I'm going to go with you this time." Jasmine said

Stephen grinned, "Ah was countin' on it."

Just then, Stephen remembered the other person that was in the limo with William.

"Hey… Jasmine… Who was the other guy in the limo?" Stephen asked  
"Some guy named Nicholas. Teresa thinks it's his right hand man… Why?" Jasmine asked, packing up her papers.  
"Nothin'. Just wanted to make sure yer not in danger." Stephen said

Jasmine smiled, "That's really sweet of you. But, you do know you're the first guy I call if anything happens right? You did save my life."

Stephen smiled just as Jasmine switched off her desk lamp ready to go. They walked out to his car after saying good-bye to the night guard.

"Oh, ah almost forgot. Estella asked meh to tell yer that she's invitin' yer for a picnic tomorrow." Stephen said  
"Picnic? Doesn't she have school?" Jasmine asked  
"Judging from the fact that tomorrow's a Saturday… Ah'd say no… She doesn't have school." Stephen replied

Jasmine closed her eyes in slight embarrassment and said, "Oh goodness! I didn't even know it's a Saturday tomorrow…"

Stephen chuckled, "Ah don't blame yer. Yer had a pretty tough few days."

Jasmine looked at him and smiled shyly, "But they were pretty nice too."

As if taking the moment as a cue, Stephen was about to lean in and kiss Jasmine when her iPhone buzzed. Stephen immediately leaned back in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Jasmine cursed in her mind as she took out her iPhone. The caller ID read, 'Stephie' and she hit the answer button.

"Yes, Steph?"  
"Hey girl! You don't sound so happy to hear me! Were you doing something naughty?"

Jasmine blushed, "No! I-I was… Doing some work and now I'm heading out to dinner… So, how can I help?"

"By coming to the airport to pick me!"  
"You're-You're in Dublin?"  
"Yeah! I told you I'd be coming to stay with you, right?"  
"Uh… Yeah… You did…"  
"So… Come and pick me up! I'll be waiting at the arrival terminal. See ya!"

Before Jasmine could say anything else, Stephanie hung up and Jasmine sighed.

"What's wrong?" Stephen asked

"I'm afraid I've got to postpone this date too…" Jasmine replied, "My best friend just arrived in Dublin."

Although Stephen was disappointed with the postponing of their first date, he was good at hiding it.

"To the airport we go then." Stephen said, giving her a small smile.


	11. Oh, Brother

The two of them arrived at the airport within 15 minutes, including the time they took to park the car. Jasmine hurriedly made her way to the arrival area and just as she found a spot by the barricade, she spotted her best friend walking out.

Stephanie waved at her and Jasmine smiled waving back. Only, her smile was short-lived when she saw the person behind her best friend. Stephanie knew Jasmine had spotted him and she could only give her a small awkward smile as the two of them approached her and Stephen.

"Hey, girl!" Stephanie greeted

"Hey, lil' sis."

Jasmine managed a small smile as she hugged her brother, "Hey, Randy."

As soon as Randy let her go, she turned to look at Stephanie, who gave her a slightly embarrassed smile.

Randy looked at Stephen, "You must be the detective then?"

Stephen nodded, "Yes. Ah'm detective Stephen Farrelly."

"Randy Orton. Her brother." He said

While the two were talking, Jasmine pulled Stephanie a little away from them.

"Why did you bring Randy here?" Jasmine hissed softly  
"I didn't have a choice! He found out about my trip and he made me tell him everything… You know how intimidating your brother can get!" Stephanie whispered back  
"He's gonna flip if he finds out I'm staying at Stephen's house." Jasmine said

Stephanie smiled, looking at her best friend, "Ooo, we're on first name basis with the detective already?"

Jasmine glared at her, "Not funny, Garcia-Colace."

"Okay, okay. I'm sure Randy wouldn't find out." Stephanie said

Just as she said that, the two guys turned to look at them.

"You've been staying at his house?" Randy said  
"You were saying?" Jasmine whispered to Stephanie.

The two girls closed up the gap between Randy and Stephen.

"They couldn't find a safe house for me so I was staying at Stephen's house." Jasmine said  
"Oh, really? Jas, you're a girl. You shouldn't be staying at a stranger's house." Randy said  
"He's not any stranger. He's a detective, Randy." Jasmine said

Randy looked at his sister, "Whatever it is, you are not staying in his house anymore. You're staying at our hotel."

As if knowing she was about to protest, Randy said, "End of discussion."

He walked away from their little gathering and sat on the chair nearby to calm himself down. Jasmine was his little sister and he's been protecting her all his life. This was testing his protectiveness of her and he wasn't coping well. Stephanie touched Jasmine's arm lightly which made Jasmine relax a little.

"I'll go talk to him." Stephanie said

Jasmine nodded and as soon as Stephanie sat down next to Randy, Jasmine turned to Stephen.

"Stephen… I'm so sorry about this." Jasmine said

Even though Stephen had a short fuse and Randy's alpha-male was challenging his at that moment, he couldn't find any reason to light the fuse. He could understand why Randy felt this way. If it had been his sister who was involved, he'd be the same way too. As much as he didn't like the idea of not seeing Jasmine as often anymore, he had no choice but to persuade her to follow Randy.

"It's fine. Yer should listen to yer brother. He wants to protect yer." Stephen said  
"But that's what you're doing too, right? Unless you had been letting me stay at your house for a different reason?" Jasmine said

Stephen laughed slightly, "Of course not! But, ah'd feel better if yer stayed with yer brother. Hunico may be able to track meh down but he wouldn't be able to track yer brother."

She looked at Stephen and he smiled, "Ah'll go pick up yer things from mah house. Yer go with them first."

Jasmine nodded and walked over to where her brother was. He smiled at her before turning around to walk to the car park.

"Hey, wait!"

Stephen turned around to see Stephanie running up to him.

"You're not seriously thinking of walking away without knowing where we're staying, right?" Stephanie said  
"Oh, right. Where are yer stayin'?" Stephen asked

Stephanie chuckled, "I can see the appeal that Jas sees now."

Seeing Stephen's slightly confused face, Stephanie continued, "We're staying at the The Shelbourne Dublin."

Stephen's eyebrows raised, upon hearing the name of the hotel.

"I know. Expensive hotel. But, I don't do illegal businesses. My father pays the bills. So, don't need to do a background check on me." Stephanie said

"Point taken." Stephen said, "Please tell Jasmine ah'll give her a call when ah'm there."

Stephanie nodded as she watched Stephen walk out of the airport before turning around to head back to where Jasmine and Randy was.

* * *

An hour later, Jasmine received a phone call just as she was checking out the hotel's bathroom with an excited Stephanie.

"Hello?"  
"Jasmine? It's Stephen. Ah'm downstairs in the lobby now."  
"Okay, I'll be right down."

Jasmine put her iPhone into her bag as she walked towards the door of the room.

"I'm going down to get my stuff." Jasmine said  
"Okay. I'll go check on Randy, next door." Stephanie said

Jasmine nodded and left the room as she took the lift down. The lift door opened and there standing awkwardly in the lobby was none other than Stephen.

"Hey." Jasmine greeted, walking up to him.

Stephen smiled, "Hey. Here are yer things."

Jasmine smiled, taking her stuff from him, "Thanks."

He looked around the hotel before looking at her, "How are yer holdin' up here?"

"Well, for one, I don't really fancy staying in expensive hotels so I'm kinda out of my element here. Secondly, I miss Estella and Mrs O'Malley." Jasmine said

Stephen chuckled, "Estella misses yer too. She wanted to come see the hotel but Mrs O'Malley said it's way past her bedtime."

Jasmine laughed slightly, "She could always come and visit me anytime."

Stephen nodded, "Ah'll be sure to pass her that message."

The two stood in silence for a few seconds until Stephen spoke.

"Ah should get goin'…" Stephen said, "Yer need to get some rest."

"Yeah. Of course." Jasmine said

Just as Stephen was about to turn and walk out, Jasmine held onto his arm.

"You're coming to pick me up tomorrow, right?" Jasmine asked

Stephen looked at her with a puzzled look which made her laugh a little.

"The picnic? You didn't take back your invitation, did you?" Jasmine said

Stephen laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, "No, no! Ah mean, ah didn't take back the invitation."

"Good. Then I'll see you here tomorrow at 11am?" Jasmine asked  
"Yeah. Ah'll be here. With Estella, of course." Stephen replied

Jasmine chuckled, "I'll see you then."

She tip-toed to kiss Stephen's cheek before giving him a smile, "Good-night, Stephen."

He smiled back at her, a little stunned as she walked towards the lift lobby. She gave him a little wave as she stepped into the lift and he returned with a wave of his own. As the doors closed, Stephen took it as his cue to leave.


	12. A Lovely Day

The next morning, Jasmine woke up early to get dressed. As she was putting her earrings on, she got a call on her cell phone.

"Hello?"  
"Jasmine? Teresa here… Are you coming into the museum today?"  
"Nope… I texted Lizzie last night that I'm not coming in today. My brother's in town and I kinda wanna show him Dublin."  
"Oh… Right, right. I got the memo Lizzie sent. But, you're coming in tomorrow, right? Mr Regal and Mr Rodriguez will be coming in tomorrow to discuss the details of the birthday party."  
"Alright… I'll be in tomorrow."  
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then! Bye!"  
"Bye."

Jasmine hung up and put her phone into her satchel just as Stephanie came out from the bathroom.

"Who was that?" Stephanie asked  
"My boss." Jasmine replied  
"Okay, I'm not listening to any work talk. So, are you excited for your little date?" Stephanie said, grinning.

Jasmine smiled shyly, "Yeah..."

Stephanie laughed and lightly nudged Jasmine's arm, "Well, have fun. It's nice to see you going out to have a good time."

She looked at Stephanie, "Thanks. But… What about Randy?"

"I'll handle him." Stephanie said

Just as she said that, there was a knock on their hotel room door. Stephanie gestured for Jasmine to continue getting ready while she walked to open the door.

"Hey Randy." Stephanie said, moving aside for Randy to come in.

He spotted his sister getting ready and asked, "Where are you going?"

Jasmine adjusted the strap of her satchel on her shoulder, "I'm going out."

"With who?" Randy continued  
"Stephen. The detective you saw yesterday." Jasmine said  
"Are you two dating?" Randy asked

Jasmine sighed, "Randy, please don't treat me like I'm 5. Stephen's a good guy and I admit, I like him. But, he and I aren't dating… Yet."

He looked at Jasmine before he sighed, "I'm sorry. It's just that I heard from Stephanie about what happened to you. And you're my little sister. I have to protect you. I have to make sure you're not in any harm."

She nodded, "I know… But, Stephen's not one of them. Besides, I trust him."

"Alright. I trust your judgment. Go have fun." Randy said

Jasmine smiled and kissed her brother's cheek, "I'll be back to have dinner with you and Steph, okay?"

Randy nodded, "I'll hold you to that."

Jasmine nodded and hugged her brother before lightly patting Stephanie's arm as a form of good-bye.

"See you guys later!" Jasmine said, as she walked out of the hotel room.

* * *

Stephen and Estella were sitting in the lobby, waiting for Jasmine to come down. As soon as Estella spotted Jasmine, she leapt out from her seat.

"Uncle Stephen! I see Jasmine!" Estella exclaimed

Jasmine spotted the two of them and waved at an ecstatic Estella. She hurried over to them just as Stephen stood up.

"Hi." Stephen said, looking at Jasmine, "Yer look great."

Jasmine smiled shyly, "I look the same, Stephen. But, thank you."

Estella giggled a little seeing her uncle's reaction towards Jasmine.

Stephen looked at her, "What are yer giggling about?"

"Nothing…" Estella said

She looked at Jasmine and lightly tugged Jasmine's hand, making her bend a little so that Estella could whisper into her ear.

"Uncle Stephen likes you." Estella whispered

Jasmine smiled and whispered back to Estella, "I like him too."

Estella giggled again as she tugged both of their hands, "Let's go!"

Stephen laughed and carried Estella up to put her on his shoulders while Jasmine followed after them.

They arrived at Phoenix Park after waiting for a spot to park. They all got out and Stephen locked the car door. As they were about to walk, Jasmine turned to look at Sheamus, who was holding Estella's hand.

"Where's the picnic basket?" Jasmine asked  
"Oh… That…" Stephen said

She looked at Stephen who had a rather embarrassed look which didn't have to say much for Jasmine to figure it out.

"There isn't a picnic, right?" Jasmine said  
"No…" Stephen said, softly.

Estella looked at Jasmine, "We're sorry… We didn't mean to trick you…"

"Trick me?" Jasmine said  
"Estella has been wanting to spend more time with yer… So… Ah thought this would be a good chance to do so." Stephen said

Jasmine chuckled, "You should have just told me. I'd love to spend time with the both of you."

She walked over and held Estella's hand just as Stephen looked at her and asked, "Yer not mad, right?"

Jasmine smiled, "There's nothing to be mad about."

He smiled back just as they started walking into the park. They made their way to the zoo, located within the park since Estella pretty much persuaded them to go there first. While Estella walked before them, excited and in her own world, Jasmine found this the perfect opportunity to talk.

"Um… Stephen… About yesterday… I'm sorry… My brother can be pretty over protective sometimes." Jasmine said  
"That's okay. Ah understand where he's coming from. Ah have a sister too and ah behaved the same way he did when she had her first boyfriend." Stephen said

Jasmine laughed slightly as they stopped at a Tiger enclosure which had caught Estella's eye.

Stephen looked at Jasmine as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "So… Are we… Yer know…"

She chuckled at his nervous response, "Are we on a date? I guess you could say that."

Stephen grinned and just as they turned to walk to the next enclosure, Stephen reached for Jasmine's hand. Seeing what he was about to do, she smiled and met his hand half-way. He smiled back as they held hands, walking after Estella to their next destination.

* * *

At around 1pm, the three of them took a break. While Stephen brought Estella to buy some food, Jasmine decided to use the toilet so she got up and headed for the washroom that wasn't too far from the food stands.

As she was about to walk in, someone grabbed onto her arm, making her turn into the empty corridor next to the ladies. She nearly opened her mouth to scream when she realized who it was.

"Sssh! Don't scream. It's me."  
"Rosa?"

She gave Jasmine a small smile before she said, "Jasmine, you have to leave Dublin. It's not safe for you here."

"What do you mean? Where have you been?" Jasmine said  
"I cannot tell you." Rosa said  
"What do you mean you cannot tell me? You dragged me into this mess!" Jasmine said  
"You weren't supposed to find that envelope." Rosa said  
"But I had to because two Mexican gang members were in my apartment!" Jasmine said

Rosa sighed, "I know. And it's my fault. That's why I'm here to tell you that you should leave the country now."

"Rosa, what's in that envelope?" Jasmine asked

Her face fell which only made Jasmine conclude that whatever is inside is definitely something very important. But, Rosa regained her composure in a second and had on a poker face.

"That is something I can't tell you at all. If I did, it will only make you top priority on their list. Look, if I can't convince you to leave the country then at least heed my advice." Rosa said

She looked behind Jasmine for a while which made her turn back to look. Stephen and Estella were sitting at a picnic table laughing over something while they ate.

"Sticking with that detective is dangerous." Rosa said

Jasmine looked back at Rosa, "But he's the one keeping me safe."

"And he could also be the one putting you in danger. Just listen, Jasmine. Keep yourself safe. Be careful of who you trust." Rosa said

Jasmine nodded and just as she was about to continue, a group of female tourists came out from the ladies. Distracted by the sudden rise in noise level, Jasmine turned around to look for a while. When she looked back, Rosa wasn't there anymore. As Jasmine reached into her trenchcoat's pocket, she felt a piece of paper.

She opened it up and it said, **'**_**Be careful of the people around you'**_.


	13. Got A Secret, Can You Keep It?

Coming out from the ladies', Jasmine was still confused over Rosa's warning for her. Be careful of the people around you? What did that mean? It was such a generic warning, she didn't know what Rosa could be referring to.

"There she is!"

Jasmine looked up and saw Estella waving at her. She smiled and waved back as she made her way over to their table.

Stephen noticed her distracted look and lightly touched her arm, "Are yer okay?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Stephen, "Hmm? Yeah… I'm fine…"

"Yer don't look fine. What's wrong?" He asked  
"Nothing. I'm just hungry. What did you get me?" Jasmine said

Stephen looked at her suspiciously for a while before reaching to take a sandwich off the tray to put in front of her.

"Tuna and cheese melt." Stephen said  
"Yum. I'm so hungry!" Jasmine said

She picked up the sandwich and unwrapped it, taking one half out.

* * *

That afternoon, after the trip to the zoo, Stephen and Jasmine brought the exhausted Estella back home. Since Mrs O'Malley didn't come over, Jasmine went to tuck Estella in. Just as she stood up to turn around, she saw Stephen leaning against the door frame.

"Were you standing there the whole time?" Jasmine asked  
"Not really… Maybe about 5 minutes…" Stephen replied

Jasmine chuckled and shook her head as she lightly pushed him away from the frame to close the door behind her.

"She is pretty exhausted so I think she will be sleeping throughout the night." Jasmine said

Feeling Stephen's eyes on her, she looked up, only to meet his intense gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jasmine asked  
"Yer hiding something from meh." Stephen replied  
"We've only started dating and you're becoming those kind of boyfriends." Jasmine said

Stephen changed his stance and looked a little embarrassed.

"Sorry… Occupational hazard." Stephen said

Jasmine smiled, finding his protective and inquisitive side endearing. She figured that keeping the Rosa thing a secret might affect the new, budding relationship between the two of them. Sighing, she reached for his hand and led him towards the sofa.

"I need to tell you something." Jasmine said

Stephen looked at her, "What is it?"

"Today… At the park… I met Rosa." Jasmine said

"What?!" Stephen said, raising his voice all of a sudden

As if he could hear Estella waking up, he made it a mental note to lower his voice.

"Why didn't yer tell meh?" Stephen asked  
"I wanted to tell you but Estella was with us and I didn't want you to become all angry and law-abiding like you are now." Jasmine replied

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Jasmine slumped into the sofa a little, thinking that this might have somehow been pretty important to Stephen and she might have ruined their new found relationship.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you after I met her. But, it wasn't like I got her contacts or something." Jasmine said

She looked at him but he didn't look like he was interested in replying her. She sighed and stood up, picking up her trench coat in one hand.

"Look, I'm sorry that I kept it from you and I'm sorry that this didn't work out. Tell Estella I had a wonderful day with her and would like to do it again. That's it. I'm off." Jasmine said

Before Stephen could stop her, Jasmine had left his house. As soon as she was out of the house, she put on her trench coat in anger and walked out to find a bus of some sort. Lucky for her, just as she reached the bus stop, the bus came. After boarding it, she sat down and it suddenly hit her that she may have just ruined everything.

She mentally smacked herself on the head, knowing that she shouldn't have become so defensive when clearly; she was at fault for keeping the Rosa thing from him. He is the head detective of the case and she should have told him.

Just as she was thinking of how to salvage the situation, her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her bag and hit 'answer' without even looking.

"Hello?"  
"Hey, baby sis. What's wrong? You sound upset… Did that lobster head bully you?"  
"What? Lobster head? No. Randy, he didn't. *sigh* It's complicated."  
"Complicated how? Enlighten me."  
"Randy… Can we not do this over the phone?"  
"Wh—"  
"Jas? It's Steph. Randy was getting a little red in the face so I took the phone from him. Anyway, we're at the restaurant."  
"Okay… I'm just probably 2 stops away."  
"Alright. We'll talk when you get here."  
"Yeah."

After Stephanie said 'good-bye', they both hung up. Within 10 minutes, Jasmine reached the restaurant. Entering, she saw her best friend wave at her from a booth in the corner.

"Hi, you!" Stephanie said, moving in to give Jasmine space to sit.

Jasmine smiled as she sat, "Hey guys."

Randy looked at her and put his glass of beer down.

"Ready to tell me what's going on?" Randy asked  
"What do you mean what's going on?" Jasmine said  
"You were saying it's complicated over the phone?" Randy said

Jasmine sighed as Stephanie said, "Something to do with your date?"

"Yeah… I kinda like ruined it." Jasmine said  
"You ruined it? What do you mean?" Randy asked  
"My landlady came to find me at the Phoenix Park zoo today. And I didn't tell Stephen about it until just now when we brought Estella home." Jasmine replied  
"Wait, what? She came to find you? Did she hurt you?" Stephanie asked

Jasmine shook her head, "No. She didn't. She just came to get me to leave Dublin until this whole thing ends."

"Well, I agree with her. You should leave Dublin and come back with us." Randy said  
"You don't understand, Randy. I've got a pretty good life here. I'm head curator! I could never get an opportunity like that if I was back in the States." Jasmine said

She looked at her brother, "I got this job with my work performance and I worked really hard to get where I am. I'm not going to let this stupid case mess up my life."

Randy looked at his sister and could only smile, seeing just how alike their personalities are even though they are not related by blood.

"Alright, baby sis. Whatever you say. But, I'm going to stick around for a while until this case closes, okay?" Randy said

Jasmine sighed, "I can't stop you, can I?"

Randy smirked, sipping his beer, "Not a chance."

"And I'm sticking around too. You ain't getting rid of me either." Stephanie said  
"Fine… But… The two of you can't be just living in the hotel for the next I don't know how many days…" Jasmine said

She saw her brother smile as he put the glass down on the table.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at her brother and her best friend, "You've already gotten a house, haven't you?"

"Yes, we have." Randy said, "Surely you didn't think that your brother would just come over for a visit, right?"

"Well, it slipped my mind. I forgot my brother was a trained CIA agent who changed to a white collar desk job to not make my sister-in-law worry." Jasmine said, sarcastically.

Randy chuckled, "You don't have to worry about Sam… She's worried about you too. In fact, she's the one who told me to stay with you till everything blows over."

"So, we are to move in to the newly rented house tomorrow!" Stephanie said  
"And where is it located?" Jasmine asked  
"Downtown Dublin. Closer to your workplace." Stephanie replied  
"We'll move there tomorrow. For now, let's eat!" Randy said

Jasmine smiled and nodded as they dug in to the food that the waiter had brought over while they were talking.

* * *

After dinner, the three of them headed back to the hotel. As they walked through the lobby, they were stopped by the receptionist.

"Miss Garcia?" She said

Stephanie looked at the receptionist, "Yes?"

"There's a gentleman waiting at the sitting area over there for about 2 hours now… He's looking for a Miss Jasmine Orton and he said she's acquainted to you." She said

The four of them looked at the sitting area and saw a slightly fidgety Stephen sitting at the sofa.

Stephanie looked at Jasmine before looking at the receptionist, "Yup. She is. Don't worry. He's a friend. We'll go over now."

The receptionist nodded in relief and walked back to her counter. Stephanie looked at Jasmine and she merely shrugged.

"What's that shrug for? Go talk to him." Stephanie said  
"Forget it… He's probably here to yell at me again…" Jasmine said  
"He doesn't look like he's here to yell at you." Stephanie said, looking at Stephen.

Jasmine sighed, "Let's just forget it and go up. He'll probably leave after a while."

"I don't think he'll give up that easily. Go hear him out. He's waited 2 hours for you already. Don't you think you should give him a chance to talk when you shouldn't have kept that information from him?" Randy said

Jasmine looked at her brother, "Since when were you on his side?"

"Since I realized how much this detective cares for you. If it was me, I wouldn't wait 2 hours." Randy said

She looked at Stephen, who obviously was starting to feel uncomfortable due to the constant stares and looks he was getting from the hotel guests and staff.

"Alright. I'll go." Jasmine said

She watched her brother and her best friend head up in the elevator before she made her way over to Stephen, who was now looking at his hand to avoid the odd looks he was getting.

"Hey." Jasmine said

He looked up and immediately stood up, "Hey. Yer back."

"Yeah… The receptionist told us you were waiting here for 2 hours…" Jasmine said  
"Ah… Ah was waitin' for yer." Stephen said

Jasmine nodded, "So I've been told… Is there a reason why you're here?"

"Ah came to apologize. Ah shouldn't have gotten so worked up about the whole situation with Rosa… Ah just didn't want anything to happen to yer." Stephen said

He sighed, "And, mah main purpose of comin' 'ere was to tell yer that ah don't want that to ruin the relationship that we were havin'…"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Ah know ah'm not the ideal kind of guy that yer want to call a boyfriend but ah know that ah can change if yer need me to."

Jasmine shook her head and said, "No. I don't need you to change. It's my fault for not telling you and I should be the one apologizing to you. I shouldn't have been so defensive when I knew that I was in the wrong…"

She looked at him, "I'm sorry…"

"Should we just forget this happened and go for another first date?" Stephen asked, "This time without Estella?"

Stephen smiled and hugged her tight, happy to have another chance with her. As Jasmine was hugging Stephen, she opened her eyes to see William's assistant and Rosa at the bar. They were both wearing sunglasses and although it could have been mistaken for someone else, Jasmine knew there was no one else in the whole of Dublin who had platinum blonde hair like William's assistant.

"Hey, you okay?"

Jasmine looked up to see Stephen looking at her worriedly, wondering why she was spacing out after he let her go. Deciding to keep this to herself, she nodded.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Just feeling a little tired." Jasmine said  
"Come on then, ah'll send yer back to yer room." Stephen said

Jasmine nodded and as Stephen took a hold of her hand, leading her towards the lifts, she glanced back at the bar where she saw the two of them but, they were no longer there.

* * *

"Camacho, where's Primo and Epico?"  
"They went to check out the leads that Miguel gave us."

He stood up from his chair and looked out the window, "Aye Rosa… Where do you think you can run to, senorita?"

Just then, the door opened and Camacho stepped back, seemingly unnerved by the people who just entered.

"Uh… Hunico?" Camacho said

He turned back around and stepped back a little in shock before regaining his composure.

"M-Mr Rodriguez…" Hunico said

Alberto smiled, "Hunico, hombre… No need to be nervous around me."

He looked at Camacho, "Camacho, you're looking stronger than the last time we met."

Camacho smiled nervously, unsure of what to do. He stepped back as Alberto made his way over to Hunico's chair.

"Ricardo." Alberto said

Immediately, his right-hand man, dressed in a tuxedo and bow-tie hurried over to pull the chair out for him to sit.

"So… Where's Rosa?" Alberto said  
"We have our men out there looking for her now." Hunico said  
"She may be hiding out but we'll find her." Camacho said  
"We have some of our men at the airport making sure she doesn't leave the country." Hunico said

Alberto touched his chin thoughtfully, "Good… Good… But…"

He signaled for Camacho to come closer to the desk and Camacho did. With his hands on the table to support himself, he leaned in close to Camacho.

"That's not enough."

As soon as Alberto said that, he took the letter opener that was in the pencil holder and stabbed the table, just missing Camacho's middle finger by 0.01cm. Camacho froze, not wanting to move for fear of losing another finger.

Alberto stood up and looked at Hunico, "Find Rosa. I don't care how you do it, I want her found."

"Yes, Boss." Hunico said, frightened but not showing it.

Alberto straightened his jacket and walked over to pat Hunico on the shoulder.

"Keep me updated. I expect good news soon." Alberto said, "Or next time, I wouldn't miss more than Camacho's fingers."

Understanding Alberto's threats fully, Hunico nodded and Alberto pat his back one last time before walking out the door Ricardo opened for him.


	14. Worst Start To A Day

"So… How long will yer be at work?" Stephen asked  
"Just a little while. I'll not be late for lunch with you. I promise." Jasmine replied

He smiled and pulled up in front of the museum. The two of them sat there for a few seconds, with Stephen rethinking his each move even though he already planned them in his head.

"Well, I best be off then. I'll see you later." Jasmine said  
"Wait." Stephen said

Just as she turned around to face him, Stephen planted a kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes as she felt her heart leap with joy. She had been waiting for this to happen since he confessed but all they ever did was hold hands and hug. He broke the kiss and sat back just as Jasmine opened her eyes.

She smiled shyly as she felt Stephen squeeze her hand, "Ah'll see yer later."

Jasmine nodded and he smiled as he reluctantly let her hand go as she left the car. She waved good-bye to him as she made her way up the stairs to the doors of the museum.

* * *

She entered the museum in high spirits, happy about the kiss that happened earlier. She rounded the corner towards her office when she noticed Alberto and his two body guards in the Mayan exhibit.

"Mr Rodriguez?" Jasmine said

Alberto looked up and smiled, "Ah, Miss Orton. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist looking at the exhibits."

"That's okay. Um, Teresa isn't here yet?" Jasmine asked  
"She's here already but she's bringing William to the areas where he can hold his daughter's birthday party." Alberto said

Jasmine nodded at the new information she had just gotten and right then, she heard Teresa's voice echoing through the hallways, which indicated that she wasn't far.

"Ah! There she is!" Teresa said, walking up to them.  
"Miss Orton, good morning." William said  
"Good morning, Mr Regal." Jasmine greeted back.  
"Shall we go to the central area to discuss further?" Teresa asked  
"Lead the way." Alberto said

They all followed after Teresa as she led the way. Jasmine walked behind everyone since she wasn't really involved with the talking. Just as she looked up, she realised that she was walking right behind one of William's trusted right hand man who also happened to be the guy she saw with Rosa at the lobby yesterday.

Feeling Jasmine looking at him, the guy turned around.

"Can I help you, Miss Orton?" He asked  
"Y-You… You're Nicholas, right?" Jasmine asked  
"Yes, that's my name. We met before at the restaurant." Nicholas replied

Jasmine nodded, "Right, right. Sorry, I'm not very good at remembering names…"

"That's okay." Nicholas said  
"So, you have a very pretty girlfriend." Jasmine said

Nicholas stopped walking, which made her stop walking too.

He looked at her, "Excuse me?"

"I saw you yesterday with a very pretty girl who I happen to know too." Jasmine said

Nicholas looked around and at the entourage before grabbing Jasmine by the arm and pulling her towards the Egyptian exhibition.

"Ow! Dude! Let go! You're hurting me!" Jasmine said, when they were inside the exhibition.

Nicholas let go of her arm and looked at her, "What do you know about Rosa?"

"She's my land lady. Or I would suppose former land lady…" Jasmine said, "What's it to you?"

"Nothing of your concern. You listen good. Breathe a word about her or this to anyone and I'll guarantee that that will be the last words you say." Nicholas said

Jasmine stepped back a little, feeling sick and unsafe. Just as she did, she heard William's voice.

"There the two of you are. What are you two doing?" William asked  
"I wanted to ask her about this exhibit I saw here but she suddenly felt unwell." Nicholas replied

Teresa hurried up to Jasmine, "Are you okay?"

Jasmine nodded, "Yeah… Just feeling a little sick…"

"Oh dear… Alright, you go home first. I'll handle this and just fill you in on the details tomorrow. Your health is more important." Teresa said  
"Thanks, Teresa." Jasmine said

Teresa nodded and Alberto said, "Would you like me to take you back home?"

"No. It's okay. I'll get my boyfriend to pick me up." Jasmine said, "You guys go on with your discussion."

Teresa looked at Jasmine, "You're sure you're okay alone?"

Jasmine nodded, "Yup."

Although Teresa was rather hesitant to leave Jasmine there alone, she nodded and led the entourage back to where they were supposed to go. Nicholas was the last to leave and as he walked out of the Egyptian exhibit, he looked at Jasmine who looked back as she felt shivers down her spine. As soon as he left, she immediately pulled out her phone to call Stephen.

Stephen arrived within 5 minutes and hurried up to Jasmine, who was seated on the high platform outside of the museum.

"Hey, are yer okay?" Stephen asked, standing in front of her.

She looked up and immediately hugged him, feeling safe and much better. He was a little startled by her sudden behaviour but he said nothing as he put his arms around her back, hugging her. They were like this for a few more seconds until Jasmine let go.

"I'm much better now." Jasmine said

Stephen looked at her, concern in his eyes, "Are yer not tellin' meh the truth?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Jasmine asked  
"Of course." Stephen replied

He helped Jasmine off the high platform and held her hand as they walked back to his car. Little did they know, they were being watched from the inside of the museum.

"Who's that?" Alberto asked, standing at the window.

Teresa came up to Alberto and chuckled seeing Jasmine and Stephen, "That would be Jasmine's boyfriend."

"Huh... Her boyfriend…" Alberto said, a tinge of a devious smile playing on his lips.

They reached Stephen's car and he opened the car door for her and she climbed in. After which, he got into the driver's side of the car and drove off towards the restaurant for their lunch date.


	15. Defending The Bad Guy

As they drove to their destination, Jasmine kept quiet as she replayed what happened earlier in her mind.

Feeling the uneasiness radiating from Jasmine, he stopped the car.

He looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Remembering Nicholas' words to her, she knew that she had to lie.

"It's nothing…" Jasmine said  
"Ah don't want to hear that… Ah want the truth." Stephen said

She sighed just as Stephen continued looking at her, waiting for her to answer him.

"Okay… There's this guy called Nicholas who works for William Regal. And, he's the guy I saw that day with Rosa. I confronted him about it and he threatened me. Telling me not to breathe a word about Rosa or the confrontation to anyone or it will be the last words I say." Jasmine said

She waited a few seconds to hear Stephen's reaction but nothing came out of his mouth. She looked at him and he looked calm.

"Stephen… Did you hear what I said?" Jasmine asked  
"Ah did… Ah was just thinkin'." Stephen replied  
"About?" Jasmine said  
"That Nicholas' reaction. Maybe he didn't mean what he said." Stephen said

Jasmine frowned and looked at Stephen, "Are you kidding me? He was looking straight at me when he said it!"

"Maybe he is under a lot of stress?" Stephen said  
"What?" Jasmine said, getting angry  
"Ah'm just sayin' that maybe he's under a lot of stress so he said things that sounded mean." Stephen said

Jasmine couldn't believe what she just heard. Wasn't Stephen supposed to be on her side? Annoyed and getting slightly pissed off with him, she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Before Stephen could react, she got out of the car. He cursed under his breath before unbuckling his own seat belt and getting out of the car to chase after her.

* * *

"I can't thank you enough, Mr Regal, for the generous donation you've made to our museum." Teresa said  
"You're too kind, Teresa. It's only right that we help with the new wing and exhibition." William said

Teresa chuckled, "Yes… Jasmine absolutely loves dinosaurs so she has been hard at work trying to get sponsors to help out with the new wing. So, Mr Regal, you've basically made her dream come true."

"So, how long have you known Jasmine?" Alberto asked  
"Only a few days. She used to be the curator for the USS Missouri in Hawaii." Teresa replied  
"She's American?" Alberto said  
"Yes. Although she was adopted when she was little." Teresa said  
"Does she have any siblings?" Alberto asked  
"Um… Yeah… She does. An older brother named Randy? I heard that he and her best friend came to visit her." Teresa said

She sipped her glass of white wine and continued, "I believe they are still in Dublin…"

Alberto smiled and said, "Interesting."

Nicholas glanced behind him at the table located at the corner of the restaurant before turning back to face the bartender. Casually, he took out his cellphone and hit a call button.

* * *

"We need to talk." He said, before ending the call.

"Jasmine, wait! Where are yer goin'?"

Hearing Stephen's voice behind her, made her walk quicker. Seeing the road ahead, she decided to run across it. Stephen followed after her but he didn't watch the traffic. A horn blared from an oncoming car, which made Jasmine turn around.

Stephen looked and with his quick reflexes, he barely got out of the car's way as it passed him by an inch. Upon getting out of the way, he's arm had hit the pavement and left a pretty bad cut in the process.

Jasmine hurried over to him and kneeled down next to him.

"Stephen! Are you okay?!" Jasmine asked, "You could have gotten seriously injured!"

She looked at his arm, "What were you thinking?! If that car had gone any faster…. I don't even want to imagine what will happen to you!"

Jasmine looked up at him and said, "Are you okay? Have you gone into shock? We better get you to the hospital!"

Just as she reached into her bag to take out her phone, Stephen used his good hand to stop her.

"Ah'm sorry, Jas. Ah didn't mean to sound insensitive to yer just now…" Stephen said  
"We'll talk about that later. We need to get you to a doctor first." Jasmine said  
"No. Ah'm not going to leave this place until yer forgive meh." Stephen said

She looked at him and realized that no matter what, he wasn't going to budge until she answers that question. Stubborn Stephen would be his new nickname.

She sighed and said, "Fine. I forgive you this time. But I won't be so forgiving the next time."

He smiled and she helped him up as they head towards a nearby clinic.

Stephen sat on the chairs in front of the receptionist at the clinic while Jasmine went to settle his bills and take his required bandages for the next few days. As he watched her, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled it out and the screen brightened with each vibration, showing the name 'Andrew'.

He hit the answer button.

"Yeah?"  
"Stephen? We got a problem. You need to come back to the station."  
"What is it?"  
"I think you better come back here. It's pretty serious."  
"Alright. Ah'm on mah way."

Just as he ended the call, Jasmine had sat down next to him.

"Was that Andrew?" Jasmine asked  
"Yeah." Stephen replied  
"You need to go back to the station?" Jasmine said  
"Yeah, Andrew said he needs meh there." Stephen said  
"Do you know why?" Jasmine asked  
"Ah'm not sure. But, yer comin' with meh." Stephen replied

Jasmine looked at him, "Are you sure? If it's work, I can go back first."

Stephen shook his head, "No. There's somethin' yer need to see."

Jasmine hesitantly nodded before following Stephen out of the clinic.


	16. Questions Are Answered

Jasmine followed Stephen into the police headquarters, unsure of the reason why she was tagging along. She smiled and waved at Sean, who waved at her while he ate his jelly donut.

Stephen opened the door to the meeting room and the both of them entered.

"You're here." Andrew said, "With Jasmine."

"Hey." Jasmine said to Andrew.

He smiled at her before looking at Stephen, expecting an explanation.

"Ah brought her here because ah think she needs to know what we're doin'." Stephen said  
"If it's going to land you guys in trouble, I can leave." Jasmine said

Andrew looked at Stephen before looking at Jasmine, "No… Stay. Stephen's right."

"So… What are we doing?" Jasmine asked  
"Where's he?" Stephen asked Andrew  
"He told us to gather here and then meet him at the docks together." Andrew said  
"Let's go then." Stephen said

Together, the 3 of them got into Stephen's car and drove towards the docks.

* * *

When they arrived, they saw a silver Maserati parked there. Stephen stopped the car and put it in park mode before they got out of the car. Just as they did, the driver of the silver Maserati got out.

Jasmine's eyes widened and she could have sworn she nearly fell to the ground.

"Nicholas." Andrew said

Jasmine grabbed onto Stephen's arm, "What the hell is going on?"

"Don't worry. Nicholas is a good guy." Stephen said

As they approached Nicholas, he spotted Jasmine next to Stephen.

"Why is she here?" Nicholas asked, "She's going to blow my cover."

"What? Blow your cover? As what? A grade-A asshole?!" Jasmine said

Stephen and Andrew both tried to stifle a laugh before Stephen decided that he should step in before Jasmine tried to murder Nicholas before them.

"Nicholas, this is Jasmine." Stephen said

Nicholas crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I know who she is. The museum curator."

"And she's also involved in this case." Andrew said

Nicholas stood up straight, "As in the one who found the stuff?"

Stephen nodded and Nicholas looked at Jasmine apologetically.

"First off, I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I thought you were some nosy person who knew too much." Nicholas said  
"Not much of an apology but fine, I'll accept it." Jasmine said

Nicholas reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a badge.

"I'm agent Nemeth with Interpol." Nicholas said, "I've been undercover, working for Regal."

"For how long?" Jasmine asked  
"About a year and a half." Nicholas replied  
"Wow." Jasmine said under her breath

The four of them stayed silent for a while until Jasmine spoke.

"So, no one's going to fill me in on the operation?" Jasmine said  
"I'm sorry, but even the detectives don't know much about our operation. They are only asked to assist on the case since we both have the same goal." Nicholas said  
"To catch Rosa." Jasmine said  
"Not exactly…" Andrew said

She looked at him, "What do you mean? I thought Rosa was your primary suspect."

"She is. But… There's someone else that just came in to the country which just blew the case wide open." Nicholas said  
"Who?" Jasmine said

Stephen looked at her, "Alberto… He's the head of the gang."

Jasmine blinked for a couple of seconds before finding her voice to speak.

"Are-Are you joking?" Jasmine said, "I had been in the presence of a gang leader?!"

She threw her hands up in defeat, "Great!"

Stephen looked at his girlfriend and instantly felt bad for keeping this from her. But he didn't have a choice. If he had told her, she might have jeopardise the case. Seeing Jasmine stand silently, a few steps away from them, Stephen turned back to Nicholas.

"So why did yer want to meet?" Stephen asked  
"Alberto's interested in her." Nicholas replied plainly.

"What?!" Stephen exclaimed, "If he dares lay a finger on Jasmine, ah'll personally kill him."

"Whoa, calm down, big guy." Nicholas said, "He's only been asking questions about her. I believe he wants to get to know her better."

"So what do you want me to do?"

The three boys turned to see Jasmine back with them. She looked at Nicholas, expecting an answer.

"Be normal when you see him. Answer his questions but at your own discretion." Nicholas said, "At this point, it's hard to know what he really wants to do with the information he is getting about you. So, all I can tell you is to remain calm around him."

Jasmine nodded, "Shouldn't be too hard…"

"Good." Nicholas said

He looked at his watch before looking back at them, "I should go now. Regal will start to wonder where I am."

Just as he opened the door to his car, Jasmine stopped him with a question.

"Is Rosa okay?" Jasmine asked

Nicholas looked down at the ground for a while before looking back at her, "She's fine. And that's all I can tell you."

Not bothering to see if his answer was good enough for Jasmine, he got into his car and swung the door close as the engine started up. He gave a polite nod to the three of them from the driver's seat before driving off utilising the Maserati's speed.


End file.
